1. Field of Invention
The present invention generally relates to detecting objects. More specifically, the present invention relates to a smart field goal detector.
2. Description of the Related Art
American football (also referred to as football in the United States) is a sport that is played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field. The field has goal posts at each end. One of the ways the teams can score points in football is to kick (i.e., place kick or drop kick) the football through a field goal post also situated at the ends of the rectangular field during a play from scrimmage. The field goal post consists of two upright poles, which are eighteen feet and six inches apart, and a crossbar suspended ten feet above the ground. The upright poles extend from the ends of the crossbar.
To properly score a field goal, the team must kick the football above the cross bar and between the two upright poles. Presently, determination of whether a field goal is successful is performed visually from one or more officials (e.g., referees) situated at various points on the field. The referees determine whether the football was kicked above the cross bar and between the two upright poles.
There does not exist any technology that assists referees in making a determination whether a football kicked is a successful field goal or missed field goal. There may be situations where the football is kicked way above the vertical goal posts making it difficult for the various referees to evaluate whether the football was within the area defined by the two upright poles. Therefore, there is a need for a system that can be used to facilitate detection of the football during a field goal kick attempt.